Another sprint to the finish after 42 kilometers
Created: 03/18/2022, 21:30
By: Paul Hopp
Had fun and ran fast: Dieter and Silvia Spitzl from Bernried started the Ganghoferlauf over 42 kilometers of skating.
© Private
After a two-year Corona break, the Ganghoferlauf took place again in Leutasch.
Several athletes from the district were at the start - four took podium places.
Leutasch – When he looked at the non-cash prize that Peter Grünebach was presented with, one thought shot to his head: “The prizes should be distributed beforehand.” The block of racing wax – designed for snow temperatures of “minus 4 to minus 10 degrees” – would have met the requirements of the 51st Ganghofer Run exactly.
Pollinger (73), on the other hand, only had another wax available that didn't really get his skis going.
Nevertheless, he took third place over the 42 kilometers of skating in his age group.
The official race clock showed a time of 2:37:31 hours for Peter Grünebach;
he himself had measured 2:32 hours.
Be that as it may, Pollinger was satisfied.
After all, he was recently slowed down by a corona infection and had not trained longer distances.
And although he mostly ran alone, i.e. had no slipstream, he survived the marathon distance "relatively easily".
Together with a few friends, he also made his way to the hotel on skis.
Peter Grünebach takes third place in his class
Other athletes from the district also came up with impressive performances at the Nordic skiing classic in Leutasch.
According to the organizers, a total of around 1,500 women and men were registered.
The majority of the starters from the region, like Grünebach, started over the 42 kilometers in free style.
Valentin Hägl (born in 1993) set the fastest time: The man from Weilheim crossed the finish line after 1:52:39 hours, which gave him 33rd place in the men's main class.
Numerous top athletes were gathered in this category – the top seven in the overall standings included six runners from the main class.
The day before, Hägl had already competed over the 25 kilometers in classic style and had finished ninth out of 15 finishers in his class with a time of 1:19:21 hours.
For Silvia and Dieter Spitzl from Bernried, the Leutasch was often a starting point for training this winter.
The couple regularly takes part in fun runs.
After no ski marathons had taken place in Austria in 2021 due to the pandemic, the start at the Ganghoferlauf was a matter of honor this year.
Both coped well with the conditions at sub-zero temperatures: "The snow was quick, the track was perfectly groomed and the skis were well waxed," they reported.
Mostly ran alone: Peter Grünebach from Polling took third place in his class over 42 kilometers of skating.
© private
Silvia Spitzl (born in 1960) was in a group of four women soon after the start.
From the turn in Burggraben she took the lead.
On the way back there was a headwind.
The woman from Bernried overtook several other participants before she reached the finish line.
In the final sprint, Claudia Bregulla-Linke (Utting) was one second faster.
With a time of 2:03:18 hours (equivalent to a speed of 20.4 km/h), Silvia Spitzl finished 16th among 36 finishers.
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Class win for Silvia Spitzl in Leutasch
In her age group, "unfortunately, the competition isn't that big anymore," regrets the native of Bernried.
She was first - the only starter.
Dieter Spitzl (born 1958) ran “an even race from start to finish”.
He was very satisfied with tenth place (1:57:50) in his age group.
"It was just a lot of fun," was the conclusion of the Bernrieder.
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Thomas Helgert (born 1964) also stayed under the two-hour mark on the 42-kilometer route.
The athlete from Post SV Weilheim crossed the finish line in Weidach after 1:58:35 hours, putting him 16th in his class among 44 finishers.
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In the end, the Böbinger Harald Loserth (born 1976/2:06:02) and Mirko Schohn (born 1972/2:07:37) as well as Stephan Klieber (born 1967/2:07) were within 95 seconds: 23) from SV Hohenfurch.
For Klaus Bergmann (born 1961) from SC Penzberg, the clock stopped at 2:26:51 hours on the marathon distance.
Father and daughter Höfler each in third place
Ludwig Höfler (born in 1947) and his daughter Heidi Höfler (born in 1976) worked in classic technology.
Concordia Burggen's duo delivered convincing performances over the 25 kilometers.
Ludwig Höfler, who recently celebrated his 75th birthday, ended up as the oldest participant in his age group with 1:35:00 hours in third place among eight classified.
Heidi Höfler finished in 1:38:10 hours;
in her class, behind two Italians, she was the third best German at the same time.
Heidi Höfler came in 18th among 42 women.
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